Innocent Atrocities: Demento
by Gin van Geovanni
Summary: They just wanted to take a trip to Italy, but now they just want to go home... if posible... Another one of my Azure Kite/ Haseo wierdness stories. No idea what to rate it yet though.
1. Opening Note

Notice:

Hello darlings, it's me Gin van Geovanni!

So I'm putting Repose on hold right now I'm sorry to anyone who likes it, but I've got nothing right. I honestly have buckets of bare-knuckled NOTHING! I'm really sorry for that. So these two will be going on simultaneously particularly because I keep getting ideas for them at the same time, and because one is a crossover with a game that I'm currently playing (trust me, playing and writing in this case helps a lot, considering it doesn't have the same feeling if I delay it. With this particular one I'm going to try something slightly different and that is partially because it's Innocent Atrocities, the only fanfic bit I'm personally able to laugh at (except for Endrance's chim face moment).

Well, that's enough out of me, on to the stuff!


	2. Endless

Urgh . . . I'll get something done in a timely manner eventually, but for now enjoy my lack of . . . I don't even know what to call it at this point. Just enjoy it for now and let me know what I should focus on.

**Innocent Atrocities/ Demento**

**Chapter 01: Endless**

Ryou and Azure Kite found themselves standing in front of a grand castle. Its walls seemed to be endless. The two looked up at the huge door.

Azure Kite was first to speak. _"Um Ryou . . . this is the hotel we're staying at? How in the world did you get the funds to allow us to both stay here?"_

Ryou stood, mouth agape, for a while longer before speaking. "I _wish_ I could afford to stay at a place this beautiful . . . Don't get me wrong the hotel I chose is nice, but nothing like this!"

" _. . . Wait . . . this isn't the hotel? Then why did we get off the bus and almost get lost in a forest if this isn't even the place? I want to tour Italy as much as you do, but I'd rather do it when I'm not loaded down with stuff . . . and when I have my sweater!" _The knight hugged his arms and shivered slightly. He was wearing little more than a vest with a high muffler and jeans with holes in the knees. There was a pair of headphones perched on his head.

Ryou wore his tale-tale long black jacket with fur around the collar. He also wore a long sleeved button up shirt and dark blue jeans. He shook his head. "I told you to leave one of your jackets on hand . . . here." He wrapped his jacket around Azure Kite shoulders. "And I suppose I read the map wrong . . . I don't see how, I followed the directions that our guide gave us . . ."

"_Let me see the map . . . looks like we went the right way . . . oh wait." _Azure Kite pointed to a spot on the map. _"If I got this right, the green line is the direction we ought to go in, correct?"_

"Yes."

"_The red lines mean that we went too far, correct?"_

"You got it."

"_Well, look at this part at the forest; remember the fork in the road we ran into?"_

"I do."

"_We followed the red line instead of the green."_

"Ah . . . Argh! What are we gonna do?" Ryou ruffled his hair roughly.

"_We can either risk going back, hope this is a hotel and put our money together for one night, or hope someone owns this place and hope they'll put us up for the night."_

"Uh, Kite not to be rude, but how the hell are we gonna be able to afford to stay at a place like this?"

"_I'm glad you asked; I found out a few days ago that I'm able to convert any GP I have in The World to real currency, so I decided to do that before we set out."_

Ryou stood utterly dumbfounded. "Good grief . . . was that _Deus ex Machina_ at work?" He muttered.

"_What?"_

"I'll . . . explain later."

" _. . ." _Azure Kite turned to the door and started to knock, however someone opened the door when his hand was mere inches from the knocker.

The person was a beautiful woman. She was frighteningly beautiful in fact. There was a blank look in her clear grayish- green eyes. Her lips were that pal shade of blue one's lips would turn when in the cold for a long period of time. Her long hair came down over her shoulders in two thick curls; her bangs were combed over the left side of her face, covering her left eye. The dim light outside caught her hair and tinged it a light shade of violet. There was a chocker around her neck with a beautiful sapphire in the middle. She wore a white pinafore that fit her form quite snugly as well as a long form fitting teal shirt that stopped just above her black stockings. Over the pinafore was an open mini-jacket that clung to her chest and slender arms; the sleeves were turned up just above her wrists. There appeared to be an alchemy symbol on the shoulders. On her feet were black loafers.

Azure Kite shuddered. Ryou seemed surprised at her timing 'If I didn't know better I'd say she was standing at the door the entire time, waiting for us to make a decision . . .' He thought.

The woman appeared unfazed by their expressions. She merely bowed and spoke. "Welcome to Belli Castle; I trust you will stay the night?" Her tone was low and somewhat mechanical.

Azure Kite remembered what he said and regretted it. Ryou reacted differently. "We wouldn't be causing any trouble by staying, would we?"

As though he had said nothing worth listening to, she stepped to the side and said. "This is the way to the guest rooms . . . please follow me."

"Um . . ." Ryou turned to Azure Kite and jumped at the look in the knight's eyes. It was not quite fear, but it was not an expression that he usually had on his face. "Kite . . .?"

Azure Kite shook his head and nodded in the direction of the maid, who had stopped just a few feet ahead of them. Even though her back was to them she seemed to know that they were not following her. She even waited patiently for them to start walking. Ryou opened his mouth to say something, but Azure Kite silenced him with a look, he shook his head as a sign that they would talk later.

She opened the door to a beautiful guest suite. A comforting fire accompanied the lights around the room. The walls were made of stone, and there were two predominant portraits in the room. One was of an old man with a powerful, yet terrifying look in his eyes he wore a red robe that appeared to be dark velvet. He barely had any hair left, but the focus was clearly his dark black eyes; they were imposing, as though daring the viewer to look. The other portrait was on the opposite side of the room, directly across from it. One would think the blue robed subject was the same old man only younger. This seemed even more obvious due to the fact that the picture looked slightly older. Next to the old man's portrait was a grandfather clock that ticked loudly. Near the portrait of the younger man was an empty clothing chest. To the right of it was a large window with three panes. In between the portraits was a single king-sized bed. The bed was situated across from a small terrace within the room. Overlooking the terrace near to the bed was a tall potted plant with large leaves. The stairs to the room's lower level were by the clock.

Once Ryou and Azure Kite were in the room, the maid asked. "Are these accommodations to your liking . . . or will you require separate rooms?"

"We'll be fine." Ryou replied. "Once again, thanks a lot for this."

For a brief moment, the maid seemed as though she would not speak, and when she did it was once again as though she did not hear Ryou. "Dinner will be ready shortly." She said mechanically and left, closing the door rather quietly.

Ryou crossed the room and flopped on the bed. Azure Kite walked down the stairs. He took note of the tea set on the table; the small glass kettle appeared to be full. There were even cookies on the tray. The three cushy chairs around the coffee table were pulled back, inviting one to sit. Azure Kite walked past this to the bookshelf in the wall. A bisque doll sat on the bottom shelf; she was a cute little thing with blond hair pulled into a ponytail and big blue eyes. She wore a Victorian style top with puffed long sleeves and cuffs around the forearms. She wore a short dark green skirt, and black sheer knee-highs. On her tiny feet were calf high leather boots. On her left shoulder was a small white German Sheppard. Despite his suspicions he could not help but think 'What a cute little thing . . .' He put the doll back and looked out of the second tri-window. 'It's getting late . . .' He suddenly saw Ryou's reflection in the glass.

The boy looked worried. "Kite, you've had this strained look on your face ever since she opened the front door . . . what's the matter?"

"_. . . I saw blood on her clothes . . . and her hands were bloody too . . . She also had this look in her eyes . . . I can't fully describe it, but it was strange."_

"I thought her hands seemed a little raw . . . I guess I didn't think much of it because you have a lot of cuts and scars on your hands too."

"_True . . . hey Ryou don't you think the timing of all of this is . . . weird?"_

"Yeah . . . it seemed like she was just waiting for us, although it's strange that she didn't react until you reached for the door. Then there's this room. I know it's not uncommon for a guest room to be neat and clean, but this is a little extreme." Ryou took one of the cookies off the tray and waved it as he spoke. "I can understand the sheets being starched and pulled back slightly, the plants being nice and watered, and I can even take the clock running with a grain of salt." He took a loud bite out of the cookie. "However, my suspension of disbelief takes a leave of absence when the fire's been burning for about ten minutes, the lights are all on an there's a tea set –complete with tea and cookies – set out for complete strangers . . . and the maid set it down _before_ the arrival."

Azure Kite nodded. _"Well, let's make sure we're out of here as early as possible."_

"I agree." Ryou produced his cell phone and began to dial. "Just let me contact the hotel and see what can be done about our reservation or something sense we won't be able to check in till morning."

Azure Kite could not help but smile as he watched Ryou smooth things over on the phone 'He really can be responsible when he's motivated enough.' He thought 'Although this type of motivation can be scary.' When the conversation was over, Ryou said. "They were actually nice about it. We've got 24 hours to work things out. That ought to be enough time, right?"

Azure Kite nodded.

". . . Something's still on your mind . . ."Ryou looked concerned.

"_I'm just hoping that we made the right decision about staying, what if something bad happens . . . what if we get separated . . . We kinda have a track record of that happening."_

Ryou sat on the bed and beckoned Azure Kite to come closer. "As long as I get to be with you, it doesn't really matter much where I go. And I hate to say this, but we always manage to find each other, so I'm not too worried about that. Don't worry we'll be fine."

" _. . . All right . . ."_

"That's my Kite, now sit down already you're making me nervous."

"_Why don't you stand up? We sat for so long on the plane, and then the bus to get this far . . . my butt's numb."_

Ryou pouted, "Fine, then could you lean down a little?" He held out his arms. "It's hard to kiss you from way up there."

Azure Kite blushed. _"I don't know what if she comes back?"_

Ryou pouted again with his arms out, he looked like a spoiled child asking for candy.

Azure Kite laughed lightly. _"All right, all right, just one." _ He leaned over and kissed Ryou on the lips. That one short kiss ended up being much longer than the knight anticipated; he even felt his knees give out. Before he fell to the floor he sat on the bed then rested his head on Ryou's lap.

_**Chapter 01/ End

* * *

**_

Poor Ryou, people tend to ignore him in IA . . . am I showing that I don't care much for his 'pre redemption' personality and that unfortunately karma will pick on him regardless . . . No . . .

I think you know what's going to happen next

And I'm not sure if anyone reading this has played Haunting Ground, but I tried really hard to make the bisque doll seem like Fiona and Hewie sense their presence in the story would cause problems . . .

And yes, Azure Kite is probably going to spend some unwanted alone time with the maid.

Ah yes, and before anyone calls foul I do not own the titles of any of the chapters, they are the titles from the official 'Demento'(Haunting Ground) soundtrack. With a few differences.

Oh and finally, why the hell are they doing in Italy without a chaperone? . . . That's like asking where Ryou's parents are half the time. I think it's implied in his character description that he lives alone, and I'm not sure what the age limit is for taking a flight alone from Japan, so . . . for all I know _he _qualifies as the chaperone . . . good grief . . .

One more thing, Deus ex Machina is a writer's cheat. It dictates that when a character(s) is in trouble, some unknown outside force helps said character out of the situation. Hence, why Ryou brought it up when Azure Kite instantaneously had a solution to their money trouble. It was too convenient.


	3. Strange Door

It's time for all the little kiddies to run in fear!

**Innocent Atrocities/ Demento**

**Chapter 02: Strange Door**

Ryou turned over. There was a misplaced smell surrounding him. 'What is this . . .?' He thought . 'It smells like . . . flowers . . . I think.' He slowly opened his eyes. all he could see were thorns. He jumped up in shock. "What the hell?" he looked around only to see thorns. "Where am I?" he felt a light breeze blow by. "When did it get so . . ." before he could finish the sentence, he looked down.

He was completely naked, save a sheet covered in rose petals. The rose petals floated off in the wind when he sat up. Ryou wrapped the sheet around his waist before standing up. This small conscious motion caused his heart to calm down slightly. He put his chest and sighed. 'Well . . . I can't be sure of this, but perhaps I'm still somewhere on the castle grounds . . . it would a whole lot easier if I had a map. Ah well, for now I should get out of this . . . rosebush . . .' He hesitated then reached for a branch.

Back at the suite, Azure Kite shivered on the bed. 'I hope I'm imagining Ryou not being here . . .' He thought with his eyes closed. He sat up and opened his eyes. Ryou was nowhere to be found. 'Where did he go?' He thought. 'He couldn't have gone to the restroom . . . I doubt he knows where it is. Knowing him he probably decided to wander the castle looking for one . . . But I know him, and I know that he wouldn't go anywhere in this strange place without me! Someone must have taken him out of the room! But . . . why would someone want to take Ryou away? What could they possible want him for?' he stood up. 'I'll figure that out after I find him . . . but where should I start to look?' Azure Kite looked at the doorway on the same floor, then he looked down at the door on the lower floor. Before he could make a solid decision he heard a knock at the door.

It was the maid again. "Sir, dinner will ready shortly," She held up two neatly folded outfits. "My master requests that you dress accordingly."

Azure Kite took the outfits and nodded. 'She doesn't scare me and yet . . . something feels weird . . .' All of a sudden he felt a hard blow to the face; the fact that he was caught off guard made it even worse. The maid said nothing and merely closed the door behind her. However, Azure Kite could have sworn he heard a shriek down the hallway.

'What was that?' Azure Kite rubbed his cheek. 'It was so . . . ill conceived . . . I hope her personality isn't like that on a regular basis . . .' He looked at the clothes provided and held up a white blouse with ruffles around the collar, a collar that sloped quite low. 'Heh, this would look nice on Ryou . . .! That's right I have to go find him! . . . I don't want to provoke her again though . . . I'll change just in case I run into her. Azure Kite held up the top for a brief moment. 'This doesn't feel right . . .' He could not help but turn to the portrait of the old man. It felt as though the portrait was staring at him, or even like there was something with eyes _inside_ of the portrait. 'I don't want to do this . . . But I have to.' He turned his back to the portrait and changed tops as quickly as possible. When it came to the pants his parinoia went up a notch as he decided to hide behind the bed. When finally dressed he looked at himself in the only reflective surface in the room: the window. 'I never would have thought that something cut like this would look good on me . . .' He thought, playing with the ruffles on the collar. 'The pants are a bit tight around the waist though . . . It's not a lot, but it is a bit much . . .' He tugged at the pants legs a little then looked over to see a pair of boots near the bed. 'I suppose it can't hurt . . .' He thought before stepping into them. Before he could zip them all the way up a loud series of knocks caused the door to vibrate. 'Now what is it?' He trekked to the door. 'I don't want to get slapped again.'

He opened the door and was immediately assaulted by the one knocking; it was Ryou. He had on nothing but a bed sheet wrapped around his waist. His body was covered in blood and small cuts. His hair was peppered with leaves, dirt, and even tree bark. There was a wild, panic-stricken look in his violet eyes. _"R-Ryou, what happened?" _Azure Kite wanted to pull the boy closer to him, but he had no idea how or where to touch him. He merely hovered over him.

"Huh . . . Kite . . . is that you?" Ryou whispered. "I'm not . . . I'm not imagining you're voice . . . am I?" Ryou looked up at Azure Kite dolefully.

"_No, you're not imagining me, I'm here, so calm down."_

"Ah, that's good . . ." Ryou paused. Then he sat bolt upright.

Azure Kite looked worried. _"Ryou, be careful," _He scolded. _"You're hurt pretty badly!"_

Ryou was quiet as he looked Azure Kite in the eye. "Kite . . . what happened to your face?"

"_Ryou, you're practically naked and covered in cuts! I don't even know if it's a good idea to touch you!"_

The teen smiled. "You can touch me wherever you want _whenever_ you want."

Azure Kite frowned. _"Ryou, I'm serious!"_ He grabbed Ryou's shoulders as lightly as possible, and pulled him onto the bed, Ryou flinched. _"Eh? See what I mean!"_

"Hey it just stung a little! All I need is some peroxide, a few Band-Aids, and bed rest!" Ryou laughed nervously. "Well . . . there is the matter of the gardener, but that can wait. What happened to you?" Ryou spoke fast, as though he did not want Azure Kite to fully understand his words.

Too bad the knight beat him to the chase. _"Ryou . . . tell me what happened."_

". . . I fell asleep after you did. When I woke up I was in the middle of a rose garden. Most of the cuts came from the fact that I was actually in the middle of dense rosebush _forest_, it was a painful chore to get out." He took a deep breath. "Little did I know that getting out was the easy part. When I finally managed to get out, I saw this huge guy. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call him a monster than a man . . . I dunno . . . All I can say is that I don't think he was too happy to see me outside of the bush."

"_What did he do?"_

"For a moment, he just stared at me with this big blank expression; kinda like the way you in a fight. Then he started to chase me."

"_Why?"_

"I have no clue, then again if he was the one who put me there, then I doubt he wanted me out of his sight."

"_Well you got out his sight long enough to reach here, how did you manage that?"_

Ryou sighed. "I climbed up a tree and didn't come back down until I couldn't see him. By that time it was pretty dark and the only way I made it back in the castle was through a corridor that seemingly hadn't been used in ages. From there I just wandered the castle until I heard a woman screaming. I turned a corner to see the maid coming down a flight of stairs I went up the stairs, hoping that it would lead me back here, I got lucky in that regard." He raised an eyebrow. "I can only guess that she came from this room, and your face is swollen, so that means something happened. . ."

"_Well . . . when I woke up and saw that you weren't there my first instinct was to look for you. However, I wasn't sure where to look . . . by the time I made up my mind the maid came in with clothes that "The Master" requested we wear to dinner. I didn't say or do anything I swear, in fact I was gonna thank her, but I couldn't get the words out before she just slapped me!"_

"That's all?" Ryou asked with a hint of suspicion.

"_That's the truth . . ." _Azure Kite replied exhaustedly.

"I wonder why . . . Oh!" Ryou's eyes suddenly lit up.

"_. . . Why are you looking at me like that?"_

"You _are_ wearing a different outfit! It looks really nice!"

Azure Kite blushed in spite of himself. _"This isn't the time or place for that. . ." _It was clear that the boy was not listening to him. In fact, he had deftly wrapped his arms around the knight and rested his head on his chest. _"Ryou, this _really _isn't the time!"_

"I'm kinda dizzy . . . I think my run of the castle is catching up with me . . ."

"_. . .All right you can stay like that but don't try anything else."_

"Too tired . . ."

"_You know the maid is going to come back, and she won't be happy if you're not properly dressed."_

"I don't care."

"_I could do it for you."_

"Nope, that would involve you getting up, and I don't want you to move for a while."

"_Ryou . . . at any other time I would give in to the fact that you're acting like a complete brat, but right now I can't do that, we need to find a way out of here as quickly as possible."_

". . ."

Azure Kite looked at the tired look in Ryou's eyes and sighed. _"How about this: we'll stay like this a short while longer, you get dressed, and then we find a way out of here. To be honest, we can't afford to lose any more time, but you're hurt, so we'll start slowly . . ."_

"What's the matter?" Ryou looked up.

"_Our . . . bags. . ." _Azure Kite looked as far over the bed as possible. _"I got so wrapped up in everything else that I didn't notice . . . Our stuff is missing!"_

"Well, then, it's clear that whoever owns this place doesn't want us to leave. It's also clear that he or she doesn't want us to be in the same area either." Ryou touched his shoulder. "Well, the cuts don't seem to hurt as much now, not to mention . . ." He pointed to Azure Kite's stomach. "You've walked long distances with worse injuries. We should get going." He stood up slowly and dropped the sheet from around his waist. Azure Kite couldn't help but cover his eyes. Ryou looked down then at Azure Kite then smirked. "It's funny," He said much louder than necessary. "I walked through a thicket of roses, fell on my face multiple times, and _climbed up a tree_, but this one place doesn't have a scratch. Heck my legs and thighs are messed up too, and so is the sheet, but _one area_ is left unharmed."

Azure Kite's arms shook, he was trying hard to not peer through his fingers.

"Ha-ha it's fine I've got the pants on now."

The knight hesitated and tried as hard as he could to not look at Ryou from the waist down when he finally peeked.

Ryou pulled at his suspenders and smiled. "This isn't half bad. . . I'm not sure what the suspenders are for though . . ." He let go of them with a snap. "The pants are already tight around the waistline."

"_Ryou . . . aren't the suspenders supposed to go _over_ the blouse?"_

"But I don't wanna . . ."

"_Geez. . ." _Azure Kite hissed and snatched the blouse off the bed. Without a word he slipped the straps of the suspenders off his shoulders, jerked the blouse onto Ryou's body, and buttoned it. He even pulled the suspender straps back up. Then he walked back to the bed and flopped on it, blushing.

Ryou smirked again and said. "You forgot something." He dangled a purple vest in Azure Kite's face.

Azure Kite looked irritated. He snatched the vest and put it on himself instead of Ryou. Ryou merely laughed, put on some shoes, and opened the door. He peered around it down the hallways. At first he seemed calm, then the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"_Ryou what's going on?"_ Azure Kite inquired.

Ryou slammed the door shut and leaned against it. "Kite, shut up and get under the bed."

_**Chapter 02/ End

* * *

**_

Well, then join them next time!

Ah, yes, for the record the spontaneous slap thing will be explained. Just sit tight.


	4. Captured Princes

**Innocent Atrocities/ Demento**

**Chapter 03: Captured Princes**

Azure Kite slid off the bed and was about to ask again when he heard something that sounded like a growl. 'What was that?' He looked at Ryou who merely signaled for him to get under the bed. As soon as the knight made it under, Ryou slammed the door and slid under it as well. Both boys swallowed a gasp when the door flew open.

A hulking monster of a man burst into the room. His dull brown eyes scanned the room dimly and he sniffed the air. He shuffled into the room slowly then stopped at the clock to pull up his ragged, weather-beaten pants then he took a second nab at his garden worn shirt. He walked down the stairs to the second floor and looked around. Then he jerked the door open and stomped out.

Ryou peered from under the bed. "I think he's gone for now . . . lucky he didn't go out the way he came."

Azure Kite followed suit. _" . . . True . . . but I looked outside and didn't see much of a way around the castle from that way. He'll probably have to backtrack through this room."_

"Then we'll be going!" Ryou snatched Azure Kite's hand and bolted out of the room; he even closed the door behind himself. Outside of the room was a stairway to the left and a door opposite the stairs. 'I walked up the stairs to get back to the room . . . but I didn't even bother with the door . . .' He noticed that Azure Kite was pulling him away from the stairs. _"I've just got a bad feeling about that direction . . . on top of the fact that that is pointing in the direction that guy went in. Even so, when that isn't the case it's better to be safe than sorry." _

Ryou merely let Azure Kite pull him along into an outside corridor. The pillars had age-old ivy coiled around them. As the two teens crossed the corridor Ryou jumped. Azure Kite stopped. _"What's wrong Ryou, did you see something?"_

Ryou shook his head. "It's nothing . . ."

Azure Kite looked concerned until they neared a large double door. The teal haired teen would have tried to open it, but it had no discernable lock on it. 'That's no good . . .'

"Hey Kite I think I see a door further up, and a few lights."

"_Let's just try the door . . ."_

Cautiously, Ryou opened the door and peered into the room. It appeared to be a study room of some sort. There were bookshelves that touched the ceiling. There was even a desk in the center of the tallest shelf. On the opposite side of the room was a desk with complicated notes strewn all over it. In the middle of the room was an enormous book on a plaque. Azure Kite went to the book and began to thumb through the pages. Ryou went to the note-covered desk. He just looked at the stack of papers as opposed to touching them. "I don't get heads or tails of this stuff . . ." He grumbled, "There doesn't seem to be a map anywhere . . . I don't think we're going to find anything useful . . .' He looked over to a blackboard with more notes scribbled on to it. "'Luminescents . . . small creatures that are attracted to the ethereal energy given off by carriers of Azoth' . . . what the heck does that even mean?" The tawny haired teen made a face at the board.

Azure stopped thumbing through the book and turned to the board as well. _"I have no idea what it means, but I think it'll be a good idea to find out."_

"Kite, whoever did this research took years to accumulate the knowledge they have, I don't think that two teenagers with limited time will figure it out."

"_Hey, I'm sure I can come up with something in a few minutes . . . I just need . . . paper and something to write with." _Azure Kite sat in front of the board. _"With time and a bit more info I know I can figure this out . . . Well hopefully before we're told . . ." _He lowered his eyes. 'It'll be too late by then . . .'

" . . ." Ryou had a strange gleam in his eyes.

Azure Kite looked at him confusedly. _"What?"_

"Is there anything you _can't _do?" Ryou stared wide-eyed at Azure Kite.

"_Yes."_ Azure Kite replied in a flat tone of voice.

"Name five things that you know without a shadow of a doubt that you can't do." For the sake of doing something Ryou began to scan the room for blank material to use.

"_I can't sing, dance, type, hold pens correctly, read maps, gain weight, follow other people's orders, show mercy . . ."_

"Um . . . you can stop now . . . Ah!" Ryou found an old notebook buried in a bookshelf; it was conveniently unused. There was a pen next to it. "This should do!"

"_Great, now could you write down the luminescent's description for me?" _Azure Kite asked sweetly. _"Like I said, I can't even hold writing instruments well let alone use them."_

"No problem just let me know if that guy's coming down the way."

Azure Kite nodded and looked out the doorway _"So far so good . . . hey Ryou . . ."_

"Uh-huh."

"_I didn't want to say this, but I need to go back to the room . . . there's something that I wanted to check for."_

Ryou almost stabbed a hole in the paper but he did not stop writing. "I'm assuming you have a good reason for saying that."

"_I do."_

"And you're not going to come back empty handed, right?"

"_I hope not."_

"Then don't go."

"_Ryou, this is important, and I swear I'll only be a few seconds!"_

"You better not come back empty handed." Ryou looked up. "Go."

In a flash, the knight disappeared. 'What in the world . . .? I didn't know he could do that in the real world . . . Well, Kaiba did mention that the things he could do had a possibility of coming back . . .'

There was a second flash of blue light and the knight reappeared. _"That took longer that I preferred . . . but I'm not empty-handed!"_ He held up what appeared to be a long handled- coal shovel.

Ryou looked confused. "What do we need that for?"

"_You may not have any of 'Haseo's' battle prowess, but that's no reason to not protect yourself."_

"I . . . see . . ." Ryou took the coal shovel and swung it slightly; it was heavy, but not unmanageable.

Azure Kite took the notebook; as he looked at the words again he spoke about something else. _"For the record . . . I could probably get us out of here by teleporting . . . but in order for it to work without a hitch I'd have to know the exact way we came, and this is one huge castle . . . I'd hate to get lost or worse . . ."_

"I thought you were just conserving your energy or you simply couldn't. Either way I didn't really question it. I know that you know the seriousness of the situation, so don't fret about it, save your strength for the right moments."

"_. . . Let's get going . . ." _Once again, Azure Kite took Ryou by the arm and pulled him to the end of the corridor. It was dimly lit and once more there were two doors. One was right in front of them the other was down an opposite hallway; a crate barred the door in front of them.

Azure Kite looked at the door. _"Well, so far nothing bad happened yet I think we should move this crate and go in . . ."_

Ryou looked doubtful. "I dunno . . . perhaps we ought to go down the hall . . . call me crazy, but I think there may be something to help us move forward down that hallway."

_**Chapter 03/ End

* * *

**_

I know you hate me dear reader, but here's the deal: in order for the story to progress you're gonna have to make some tough decisions. That's right _you_ are gonna help them get out of here. Now and then they're going to be at odds at where to go so it'll be up to you to decide where they ought to go. Sometimes the choice will be little more than a setback, other times someone _will_ die and that'll be the end of the story . . . okay maybe not, but you get my point. If Azure Kite dies then Ryou may or may not last long enough for him to get back up. If Ryou dies then things just won't be pretty. I'll give it about a month; that ought to be enough time. And no, not _all_ of Azure Kite's decisions will be the right ones; he's more likely to make the right choice, but I doubt he'd be right every single time. In, fact I think that when he screws up it'll be one straw short of a disaster.

Sense I went further ahead than I intended we'll skip the decision end for the a later chapter.


	5. Twisted Eyes

The events transpiring here did in fact happen: One insane fanfic writer dared to play Demento just to come up with this. In other words, every wrong turn, fake out, and panic attack most likely happened to me . . . Good grief . . .

**Innocent Atrocities/ Demento**

**Chapter 04: Twisted Eyes**

Azure Kite pushed against the crate; at first it was just a test, then he threw his weight against it. It yielded with the loud scraping of rusted metal on stone. Ryou looked down. There was a spot of blood where the crate was; more importantly there was a scrap of paper sticking out from under the door. He picked it up then read it. Then he looked down the hall; a chandelier hung weakly in front of a scratched up door. He tugged at Azure Kite's arm. "Let's go that way." He said.

Azure Kite looked surprised, it was the first time Ryou actually sounded confident. _"Are you sure?"_

"Yes now c'mon!" Ryou pulled Azure Kite's arm so hard that he stumbled a little. He dragged him to the door and kicked it open.

The room was barren aside from a broken chandelier, a chair, and a strange machine that neither of them had seen before. Everything except for the machine was covered in a thick layer of cobwebs. Ryou walked over to the machine with a rather excited look on his face. Azure Kite on the other hand was confused. _"Ryou, you've had that grin on your face for a while now. What's going on?" _He demanded when he heard what sounded like typing.

"Just a minute . . ." Ryou stepped back slightly. "Done! Look at this!" He held up a plate with the word 'EMETH' engraved on it. "That paper described a golem in the room. I'm guessing that it's blocking something and that the only way to move it is to call its name. I had a feeling that it wasn't in the literal sense and that the golem needed a key."

"_So why did you think that it would be in this room?"_

"It was the only room we hadn't explored yet."

"_That makes sense . . ." _Azure Kite sneezed, causing clouds of dust to fly. _"How did you know about the machine?"_

"I didn't I just noticed that this was the only thing still in use –on account of the lack of cobwebs- so I tried it out."

"_I see . . .!" _Azure Kite sneezed again. _"Can we leave now?"_

Ryou wiped the knight's nose with his sleeve. "Sure."

Back at the previous door, Ryou was the one to push it open and step in. It was stifling hot inside of the room. The main source of the heat was a large iron stove with a small cauldron bubbling over it. Purple smoke stemmed from the cauldron. There was a table with various instruments on it including an apparatus. Some feet from the cauldron, was a large stone golem with a rectangle shaped slot in its chest. Ryou inspected the slot, and then he slid the key inside. The golem shook the room when it moved aside, revealing a tall door. Ryou slowly opened it and peered outside. "It looks like a courtyard . . . I don't think we should stay in it for too long.

"_I don't think we should stay in this room for too long!" _Azure Kite hissed. _"That golem made a hell of a lot of noise and the last thing we need is that guy on our heels!" _He prodded Ryou out the door and closed it. They found themselves on a broken staircase overlooking an abandoned courtyard. Azure Kite peered over the ledge.

"Kite I see a . . .!" Before Ryou could get the word out Azure Kite grabbed him by the midriff, hoisted him over his shoulder and jumped all the way down. Definitely ruffled, Ryou asked. "Um you do know that there was a ladder . . . right?"

"_Yup, but I think it's best to cut corners where we can." _He walked up to a door nearby and jiggled the handle while Ryou kept watch behind him. All of a sudden he quirked his eyebrows; "Hey Kite . . . I think I hear something . . ." He said slowly as he followed the sound. "It sounds like . . . music . . ." He stood in front of another door this one was thankfully unlocked. They walked down a short passageway, as they did the sound became louder. It was loudest when they hit what appeared to be a dead end. A huge gate blocked one way, while yet another door was nearby. Azure Kite put his ear to the door. _"It's safe to say that the sound is coming from here . . . someone's playing a piano. Do you think we should go in? We could've finally found someone sane . . . or we could be inviting trouble . . ."_

Ryou leaned over Azure Kite's shoulder. "l look at it this way: it's dangerous to go forward, and it's dangerous to go back . . . we have something to lose either way . . . so we may as well go forward."

Azure Kite cautiously pushed the door open. As soon as he and Ryou stepped in the piano playing reached a feverish pitch. The frantic sound echoed all over the small room, however, there appeared to be no piano in the room. In fact the room appeared too small to even house a piano. The doorway was practically blocked by a large bookcase. The rest of the space was taken up by a large table with a sofa of equal size behind it. There was a, old yellowing sheet draped over it, there were creases in it that suggested something big was underneath. Ryou appeared to be drawn to it.

Azure Kite had taken note of the key on the table. 'It would be a godsend if this was the key we need . . .' He thought as he reached for it.

The assumed player behind the piano spoke. "I apologize for not greeting you earlier." A deep voice called from somewhere in the room. Both boys looked around until Azure Kite dared to look up. Sure enough there was a terrace overlooking the room; it was situated in such a way that it resembled the ceiling more than a terrace. The top of a grand piano was just visible, but not the one playing.

"_You're, the master of this castle?" _Azure Kite spoke up first. _ "If that's the case then . . ." _He was cut short when the music came to an abrupt stop.

"I would watch what I say in this castle . . . it could cost you . . ." The person said slowly. "Although I do apologize if you are being treated too roughly. If I had known of the manner of your stay I would have monitored your treatment much more closely. I usually make sure my guests are well cared for." He chuckled in an out of place manner. "In fact, you are disturbing the rest of one of my guests."

'What is he talking about?' Azure Kite thought. All of a sudden there was a loud clatter. Azure Kite whirled around to see Ryou on the floor, staring at the sofa. The cloth was in his hand, the shovel on the floor. It had been covering what appeared to be a doll the size of a grown woman. Her skin was the color of aged wood, but there was a pinkish tinge to it, as though it were human flesh. Her belly was expanded as though she were pregnant.

For the first time in his life, Azure Kite felt the need to vomit.

The speaker belted out a nerve tingling laugh. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

Azure Kite shook his head violently while attempting to not look at the pregnant corpse. On the other hand, Ryou could not pull his eyes away from it. His legs shook violently, but he could not pull himself off the floor. All of a sudden, he let out an ear-splitting scream. It echoed all over the room and possibly out into the abandoned courtyard.

His scream even caught Azure Kite off guard; the knight was in his own personal stupor. He jumped back then grabbed Ryou and attempted to drag him away. The sudden contact caused Ryou to go into a frenzied state, the boy kicked, clawed, and hollered like he had lost his mind. Even with his strength Azure Kite found it hard to keep a grip on him so he covered Ryou's eyes, hoping that not having to see the room would calm the boy down. It seemed to work as Ryou's kicking slowed down and he was finally reduced to shaking and panting. Azure Kite held Ryou closer to his body. _"Hush . . . It's . . ." _He wanted to say 'it's going to be all right . . .' but he could not bring himself to lie because the truth was, he was not sure.

The level of uncertainty rose when he was sure he heard heavy footsteps. 'Damn, Ryou hasn't calmed down yet . . . What should I do?'

Ryou seemed to have heard the footsteps as well, his panting had stopped, but his mouth was still partially open.

As the steps came closer Azure Kite ripped off part of his shirt hem and wrapped it around Ryou's eyes then he took up the fallen shovel and leaned against the bookshelf at the door. The bookshelf wobbled slightly when his back hit it. '!Ah . . . ha . . .' He thought and dropped the shovel. He waited until he could hear the giant's voice in the room. He could have sworn he heard him say "My dollie!" but he was once again unsure. When he heard him move closer he hopped back and threw his full weight on the bookcase. It fell with a monstrous crash seemingly knocking him unconscious. Azure Kite walked around it cautiously gently took Ryou's hand and pulled him out of the room. He did not stop until they were on the other side of the door that was previously locked. Azure Kite sighed. _"I'm glad that key worked . . . aren't you Ryou?"_

"I'd be more glad if we were out of here, more importantly I'd be glad if I could see!"

"_Oh, right." _ The knight untied the makeshift blindfold allowing Ryou to see the new open corridor they stepped into.

"Well . . . there are even more doors than before, but it's a start . . ." Ryou commented.

Azure Kite nodded then glanced worriedly at Ryou. The boy seemed calmer, but his fingers twitched and his eyes were puffy.

Ryou smiled weakly. "I'm fine now." He took the shovel from Azure Kite. "I swear that won't happen again."

Azure Kite shook his head. _"Ryou . . . let me handle that all right? I'm a knight, and it wouldn't be right if you're the one protecting me."_

"But . . ."

"_No 'buts'." _Azure Kite took the shovel back. _"This is the real world, and it's obvious that _I'm _better suited for fighting, so leave it to me. I think it would be better if you concentrate on figuring out why we were brought here . . . and reading the map . . . if we find one."_

Ryou sighed.

"_Don't worry about me . . . I can handle being scared much easier than you . . ."_ He trailed off at an unusual sound. It was not the man in fact it was not even human. Azure Kite tensed until he felt Ryou rest his head on his shoulder. " . . . Why do I cause you so many problems . . .?"

"_What are you talking about?" _Azure Kite inquired.

"Well . . ." The sound came out again.

The knight eyed Ryou. _"That's right . . . you haven't eaten since . . . yesterday morning . . . what are we gonna do?"_

"I can rough it out . . ." Ryou cringed. "Don't worry."

" _. . . Let me know when you can't okay?"_

"Sure thing . . .!" Ryou had leaned on door and accidentally turned the handle. He fell through into what was amazingly the kitchen. 'Our luck is impeccable . . .' he thought.

Azure Kite seemed to be thinking the same thing. However as he looked around he noticed that there was food on the counter, and it looked as though someone was preparing a meal. Azure Kite's stomach sank. _"Um . . . Ryou . . . I think we should . . . Ryou . . .?"_

"Yesh?" Ryou turned around. He had was already on the other side of the counter with a huge ripe tomato in his hand . . . half of a tomato anyway. The other half was in his mouth and partially on his face.

"_We should get out of here . . ."_

"Really?" Ryou stuffed the other half into his mouth and even licked his fingers. "But I was just getting started!"

"_I know it's hard but you really need to not focus on your stomach right now."_

"I was planning on it . . . until we stumbled into the kitchen . . . okay hold on . . . I just found some jerky in the pantry . . ." He took a strip and took a huge bite out of it. "I think we should take it . . . it'll stave off hunger _and_ it tastes really good!"

Azure Kite gave a snort of impatience, snatched the meat and put it in the bag with the notes. _"Is there anything else?"_

"Well, nothing that won't squash or go bad . . . oh wait . . . I see what I think are granola bars, should I . . .?"

"_Go for it. I'll go check out the wine cellar."_

"Right." Ryou took a knife out of its holder. "I got your back."

Azure Kite pulled back the rafters barring the cellar and walked inside. It did not seem to be in use, and even though there were bottles, they were all broken and dried up. There was, however something useful on the table in the center: a sketch of the castle. 'Out lucky streak continues! Ryou's better at reading maps, and being able to do something ought to cheer him up a little too . . .!' He heard a loud clatter as the kitchen knife that Ryou held fell down the stairs followed by Ryou himself. 'That's not good . . .'

_**Chapter 04/ End

* * *

**_

- You know what? I don't think that Ryou understands how easily hurt he can get in this situation; or rather he does and kind of sets the danger aside, hence why he does small things like grabbing the kitchen knife. Even so he's sticking close to Azure Kite because he knows tht he's screwed without him.


	6. Closed Mind

**Innocent Atrocities/ Demento**

_**Chapter 05: Closed Mind**_

Azure Kite ran to Ryou _"Ryou! Get up!" _He shook the boy furiously as the giant man began lumbering down the stairway. Ryou crawled to his knees and shook his head. "Ow . . . I have no idea what I can compare that too . . ."

"_Ryou, pull yourself together!" _Azure Kite stood in front of the boy. The hulking giant stopped just short of him. He towered over the knight. His blank eyes bored into Azure Kite's, but the knight refused to look away. He leaned closer to the knight as though appraising him, then he began to grin, revealing teeth that were yellow and cooked, some were even missing. Azure Kite arched is neck back and glared.

All of a sudden, the giant man lunged for both boys, but they dodged in opposite directions. He jumped at Ryou first and the boy ducked behind a stack of barrels. The man tried to reach his massive arms through the crates, but he could not fit them through. Before he could start to decimate the pile, Azure Kite swung the coal shovel at him, he could not reach his head, but he did get him in the side, even staggered. The giant turned much faster than his body would have allowed and swung his arms at the knight. Azure Kite ducked then swung the shovel at his shins.

While the knight struggled with bringing the monster down, Ryou ducked out of his hiding space and grabbed the knife. "Kite!" he slid the knife over to the knight who grabbed it and stabbed the massive man in the foot. This brought him down low enough for Azure Kite to simply end the nightmare, but he . . . froze.

Ryou called to him again. "Kite, we gotta go!"

Azure Kite looked at him, and then glanced back at the man nursing his wound. With a pained look in his eyes he wiped the blood off the knife and put it away, allowing Ryou to pull him away. They escaped into the dining hall and leaned on the door. "Kite . . ." Ryou turned to Azure Kite. "You were thinking about _killing_ him back there, weren't you?"

"_Ryou . . . let's not talk about it."_

"No way, I want to know!"

" _. . ." _Azure Kite took Ryou's hand and walked ahead. _"I was thinking about it . . . But . . . I couldn't do it . . ." _

"I see . . . I can't blame you. You've never killed anything in real life before . . . well at least not anything human in any given reality."

" _. . . That's not good enough . . . what if I freeze up like that again? We're both dead if that happens."_

"Oh no, not this again; y'know, you have a real bad habit of doing too much, and to be honest, it can be a bit annoying." Ryou sighed. "I know you're worried about me, but I think you've forgotten who I am." Before Azure Kite could open his mouth, Ryou cut him off. "I know what I'm not physically capable of, but my mind and personality are all the same. Besides, there have been times when I've cleaned up after _your_ messes; on top of the fact that I was the one who protected you while we were in the maze."

"_But . . ."_

"That may have been an act, but you were still relying on me, so there!" Ryou looked thoughtful. "Then again, I'll be relying on you to stay alive this time, so . . ." He grabbed Azure Kite's arm. "I'll just stay close."

Azure Kite sighed even though he was inwardly smiling. _"All right . . . I get . . . it . . ."_

the knight's eyes widened. _"I don't believe this . . ."_

"What is it?"

"_We're back where we started . . . and we've got company . . ."_

"Huh?" Ryou peered around Azure Kite to see a hooded figure at the top of the stairs. His face was in shadow, but his grin was visible even at a distance. "Who are you?" The boy shouted.

The figure's deep voice carried down the stairs. "I am Riccardo, grounds keeper of Belli Castle, I trust you've been enjoying your stay."

"Yes, I enjoy, almost dying multiple times." Ryou muttered.

Riccardo merely grinned wider. " I see you appear quite cranky, _Ryou_, perhaps you ought to rest."

"How the hell do you know my name?"

"It is my personal belief to know certain things about my guests, that way I can be as hospitable as I can."

"Isn't that the owner's job?"

"He is not feeling well therefore I will fill in his place."

Ryou's curiosity got the better of him and he pointed at Azure Kite. "What's his name?"

"It is 'Kite'."

Ryou looked impressed for only a second then he flared up again. "What kind of host are you? You steal our things, and then send some human . . . tank after us! You say you're a hospitable guest, but it seems more like you want to kill us!"

"There is no way I would harm you, the well- being of the guests is my top priority. If you are referring to Debilitas, then I will personally have something done about him."

Ryou looked unconvinced.

Riccardo walked down the stairs. Azure Kite kept a suspicious Ryou behind him. However, the hooded man strolled past them. Azure Kite watched him as he disappeared into the kitchen.

All of a sudden, Ryou's body felt heavy, the boy began to slump over. Just as Azure Kite stopped him from falling he began to see double.

Then he saw nothing at all.

Riccardo was in the cellar with Debilitas. "You want a doll, don't you?" He looked back in the direction of the two boys. "I hope you don't mind if I choose for you."

_**Chapter 05/ End**_

* * *

I'd like to say that I'm not sure how Azure Kite would react in a real life situation where he would have to kill. In mean he harbors no ill will towards humans, but it's been shown in the game that he has no problem with destroying enemies who pose a threat. However, that's in the The World, where no one actually dies, but then again the damage he inflicts of the players can end up being real (check the manga series, there's a brief moment where that happens . . . I think, or maybe that was just AIDA). But given his personality I don't think he could . . . I'm confusing myself so I'm going to avoid that landmine for now . . .

And yay I finally called Debi by name! I know it took me forever, but to be honest, I forgot!


	7. Innocent Freak

I apologize in advance, you'll read why…

**Innocent Atrocities/ Demento**

_**Chapter 06: Innocent Freak**_

Ryou shook his head violently. Then he brought his hand to his left shoulder; there was a small prick mark there. 'Well that wasn't very fair . . . He drugged me.' The teen did not even bother looking around. 'And he took Kite from me . . . Let's see . . . from the feel of what I'm sitting on I'd say that I'm back in the guest suite. If that's the case then where was Kite taken?' Ryou slipped off the bed then tried to stand, however his feet knees buckled under him and he collapsed to the carpet. 'Okay; that's not right . . . perhaps I should wait a little bit.'

Far from Ryou's location Azure Kite was also stumbling awake. 'Where am I, and what is that _smell?' _He shook his head repeatedly then covered his nose. 'It's making my eyes water!' When he managed to clear his vision, he realized that he was seated on a rather dingy bed. The covers were draped over his lower body. He threw them off causing dust to fly. He sneezed and groaned at the same time. 'You've got to be _kidding_ me!'

He still wore the outfit he put on for 'dinner' but it was covered by an immaculate cream colored dress with long sleeves and intricate light blue designs. The dress was considerably cleaner than the bed he sat on. Azure Kite groaned again and pinched the bridge of his nose and looked around him. He looked around. He found himself in a rather dirty shack; there appeared to be a shrine of some sort across from him, he could not tell what kind of deity was being worshipped though. There was also a dresser set that he dared not to look in. even though it was at a distance he could have sworn he could hear a fire crackling outside.

'I think I know who lives here . . .' Azure Kite thought as he struggled into his boots. 'And I know for a fact that I don't want to run into him!' Legs shaking, he limped away from the bed only to trip on the hem of the dress. 'DAMMIT!' He jumped up and hiked the dress up. He barely made three steps forward when he was lifted right off the ground. 'I knew it!' He fumed as the giant man threw him back on the bed followed by a look that dared him to get back up. Then he turned to the shrine.

Azure Kite stared at his back then closed one eye. He slowly scooted to the edge of the bed and stretched his legs over the edge. Before his feet touched the ground he heard a loud growl. He narrowed his eyes and let his feet touch the floor; he even stood up. His reward for trying: a punch to the stomach, the hit knocked what little breath Azure Kite had left in him. 'I'm way too drugged for this . . .' He thought glaring at the hulking man's back. 'But I need to get out of here . . .!'

Debilitas turned to him with a strange look in his dark eyes. He stared intensely at Azure Kite, who stared back with what he hoped was a blank expression. He ended up failing miserably when the monstrous man grinned at him revealing his ghastly teeth. His even more ghastly breath filtered through. Azure Kite wrinkled his nose. Debilitas suddenly looked at him with a rather lost expression, as though he was expecting the knight to do something. _"What?" _He hissed. The man flicked his nose; given the size of his hands he caused Azure Kite's nose to bleed a little. The knight shook his head and hissed again, this time louder and much angrier. The man laughed like a small child and did it again this time he aimed at the knight's forehead, and then again between his eyes. Then he just resorted to flicking all over Azure Kite's face. The knight was now positively howling. 'I don't care much about my face, but this hurts!' He fumed and attempted to stop him. Pushing did not work, so he attempted to slap the offending hand away. Surprisingly, the man stopped. 'Good . . .' Azure Kite thought. 'Good grief he's like a kid, hit him hard enough and he stops . . . I wonder if the same thing happens if I say his name!'

He noticed Debilitas trying again, but Azure Kite swatted his massive hand again this time he hit much harder. _"Debilitas, I said STOP!" _He said firmly. _"No more hitting me! Do it again and I'll hurt you real bad!" _he folded his arms. 'I don't want to kill him, but that isn't gonna stop me from hurting him . . .'

At first the man looked at him with a mixture of hurt and confusion. Then he seated himself on the floor with his hands in his lap like an obedient child.

Azure Kite grinned. _"That's better, now from here on out I want you listen to me and answer all my questions, understand?"_

He was answered by a nod.

"_Did you see where a man named Riccardo took Ryou, er, the boy that was with me?"_

He was answered by another nod.

"_Will you take me to him?"_

This time the man looked thoughtful.

"_It's all right just point me in the direction."_

Suddenly he shook his head.

"_Pardon . . .?" _Without warning, Debilitas snatched Azure Kite up and started to hug him rather possessively. 'Damn it I should have saw this coming!' He winced in pain. 'I . . . need to . . . get out of this grip . . .' He could have sworn he heard his arms crack. His breath began to fail him again, and the man's arms were out of his biting range . . . But his head was not . . . Painfully craning his neck he managed to take a damaging first bite. The man left out a loud yelping noise and his grip lessened.

Back to Ryou, he was backtracking to places that he knew. His wandering led him to the kitchen. 'Well, I've got some of my strength back . . . This is the last spot we were at . . . it doesn't say much about where we were taken but . . . it's a start . . .' He said and walked down the stairs into the dining hall. As he passed through he thought 'I don't see that guy anywhere . . . nor do I see Riccardo . . .!' He absent-mindedly opened the door.

The maid was there slowly stirring what appeared to be soup. Ryou seemed mesmerized by the slow motions she made with her hands he continued to stare when she brought it to her lips. The 'spell' was broken by the twitch of her eyes and a faint look of distain. "Not enough . . ." She murmured. Ryou looked curiously at her then tiptoed back in the room.

'Kite went through that back door but he didn't find anything.' Maybe I'll have better luck.' He meandered through the back gardens but found nothing of interest. Just as he was on the second flight of stairs back up he heard a rusty creaking sound. A gate was open. Curious, he went through. There was a pile of dirt and more importantly, the exit to the castle. Ryou checked the map to be sure 'That's it all right.' He said making a mental note. 'But I need to find the key first, and more importantly I need to find Kite.'

Backtracking to the pile of dirt Ryou noticed there was something up there. After several slip-ups he managed to climb up and grab the object. 'It's a puppet . . . it's beaten up but the bend of the legs . . . it almost seems like it's meant to be. . . !' He ran back up to the room.

To his complete shock he found Riccardo sitting on the bed. The hooded man was tapping a six shooter on his palm; the only visible part of his face was his scarred smile. "Ah Ryou, you are awake." He remarked, pointing the gun at the boy. "Where are you off to? Dinner is almost ready."

Ryou backed away slowly. "I'm just looking around . . ."

"Oh?" He stood up and casually walked towards Ryou. "It is good to know that you weren't trying to leave." He backed Ryou into a corner and pressed the muzzle of the gun to his forehead. "It would be a shame if you chose to leave so soon." His aim moved towards the open area of Ryou's shirt and even dared to slip the muzzle of the gun through it. Ryou's cheeks tinged blue and his heart beat like a rabbit's. He bit his bottom lip as he felt Riccardo slowly run the muzzle of the gun around his chest. He pressed his palms against the wall, itching to fight back, yet knowing what would happen if he did so. His heart rate skyrocketed after the man finally removed the gun from the inside of his shirt. His aim fell even lower, past his stomach and to the edge of his pants. Ryou took a sharp breath when Riccardo repeatedly tapped the tip of the muzzle against the button near the zipper. Ryou held his breath. "It would be a _real _shame." After that statement, Ryou though he was in the clear, until Riccardo eased the gun down his pants all the way to the barrel. The teen could feel his bladder become heavier as he merely weaved the gun back and forth. The strained scream the boy had been holding in came out when he cocked the hammer. "It is best that you _accept _my hospitality." He removed the gun and finally exited the room. When the door shut Ryou collapsed against the wall.

Azure Kite held his breath and pulled the dress hem further beneath him. The branches of the bush were cutting into his arms and legs, but he could not bear to make a sound, not with a monster above him. The man knelt down, but his beady eyes could not see Azure Kite, the knight was buried in deep. Finally he stood up and lumbered away. 'He's going back to his cabin, does he really think I'm stupid enough to back?'

He peered through a door and was surprised to see several entrances as well as a staircase. On the top, he saw rows of statues and stands with weapons. 'There are a lot of weapons here . . .' He picked up a mace then an axe he even tried out the several of the swords. 'They're a bit too heavy for moving around.'

Through the only door he saw at the top of the stairs he wandered into a strange room with dolls all over. 'This room . . . it smells like _him_ as well . . . I don't think I should . . . damn it . . .' He heard a similar growling voice and jumped into the nearby wardrobe.

Debilitas burst through the door and began to sniff around the room. He checked the room from top to bottom and several times he sniffed the air around wardrobe. 'Go away, go away, go away . . .' Azure Kite chanted internally. Sudden lurching movements made his heart sink when he realized that the man was shaking the wardrobe. It thumped dully when it stopped and he thought he heard the door close. 'There were two doors. Should I risk choosing a door . . .?' He jumped out and picked the door he saw when he first entered.

Luck was on his side. He made a straight dash through several halls and found himself in a room with a phone. 'Why do I feel slightly better now that I'm here . . .?'

Despite his fear, Ryou cautiously stepped out of the room and back into the hallway. He examined the door. 'I was right! The doll's body matches the lever on this door.' He placed the doll on the door lever, it lowered with a click.

Azure Kite passed through the exit door and found himself in a room with a red carpet that had an eye in the center. There were eyes on the walls as well.

All of a sudden he heard a door open. 'Who is that?'

Ryou peered around the door frame; he could just see the red carpet. Then he peered around the wall. "Kite!" he whispered.

"_Ryou, I knew you'd make it!" _Azure Kite spoke in a rushed manner. _"Listen to me; I need you to be still for a moment. This room has a trap in it, and you'll end up stuck to the walls if you step on the floor."_ He noticed a circuit breaker behind him and flipped the switch. There was a light sound. _"I think that worked, but let me check to be sure . . ." _He took a few steps onto the carpet. _"It's . . .!" _

He barely got the words out when Ryou tackled him.

**.Chapter 06/ END**

* * *

I'm curious, should I have more than one stalker after them or one at a time? Haunting Ground is a long game, and I'm wondering if I should bit the bullet and have Riccardo looking for them too. Think about it, a not-so-gentle giant after Azure Kite and well . . . Riccardo after Ryou.

And it just wouldn't be IA if Azure Kite wasn't in drag.

Oh and I switched two of the titles.


End file.
